Improvement in street-sweeping machines



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Street- Sweeping M ach i ne.

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UNITED STATES' PATENT' @FFI YILLIAM M. BLUME, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT i IN STREET-SWEEPING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 162,345, dated April20, 1875; application led March 4, 1875.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. BLUME, of Brooklyn, in the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Street-Sweeping Machines, of which the following is aspecification:

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 2 is aninverted plan.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to machines for sweep-l ing streets, in which thedirt is taken up by one or more brushes, which throw it upon anelevating mechanism, which carries it upward and delivers it to adirt-receptacle.

My invention consists of a novel combination of parts, whereby theapparatus is rendered more eflicient and convenient in use, as will behereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing, the letter A designates the side walls or body of mymachine, connected together by a suitable top plate, which wallsconstitute the bearings for shafts, hereinafter referred to, as well asfor the axles B of the y wheels C,on which the maehineis supported andpropelled. In addition to the wheels O the apparatus is provided withfront wheels O of smaller diameter, and whose axle D is capable ofturning, in order that the machine may be turned. By the side of one orboth of the main wheels O is formed or secured a toothed wheel, E, ofsomewhat smaller diameter than the wheel G, and which serves to drivethe brushes of the machine. At the front of the machine is located thegutter-brush F, one or more oi' which may be used, and the direction ofWhichis in the line of draft of the vehicle, but which rotates crosswiseof the apparatus. The brush F is located in front, and just within theline of one ot' the main wheels C, so that when the machine is driven inproximity to the glitter of a street, and the brush F is given a rotarymotion, any and all dirt met with is displaced and swept inward into thepath of the main brush G. A rotary motion is imparted to thegutter-brush F through the medium of bevel-gear H, suitably connectedwith the drivin g-wheel E. The main brush G is so located, relatively toa receiving plate or pan, I, that any dirt caught by it is swept on thesaid pan. The pan I, as well as the main brush Gr, extends entirelyacross the apparatus, and is supported by the side walls A. In order toimpart a rotary motion to the main brush Gr, there is mounted on itsshafts, on one or both sides of the machine, gear-wheels J, which engagewith the driving-wheel E. To the brush-shaft are connected arms K, oneon each side of the machine, which arms connect with one arm of abell-crank, K', mounted on a rock-shaft, L, and the other arm of whichconnects, by means of an intermediate arm, M, with a hand-lever, N. Thislever N is situated near the front of the machine, and within convenientreach of the driver. By pushing or pulling the said hand-lever N, themain brush Gis raised or lowered through the intermediate arms andlever; and for the purpose of holding the brush in place I combine withthe lever a clamping-screw, O, that works in a slot formed in a plate,P, secured at that point. By adjusting and clamping the lever N by meansot' the screw O, the lever, and with it the intermediate mechanism andbrush G, is firmly heldin position. The several arms and levers K M Nare arranged along one of the side walls A, so that they are not liableto interfere with the working of the other parts. The dirt swept on thepan` I is taken therefrom and deposited in a box or receptacle, C), bymeans of an elevator composed of a belt, R, which passes over rollers S,and to which are attached scoops T. The length ot' the scoops T is equalto the width of the receiving plate or pan I, and the plate is slightlycurved, so that every portion of dirt swept on the plate is taken up bythe scoops. The main brush G revolves in an opposite direction to thatin which the scoops T move. If the quantity ot' dirt swept up by thebrush G is great, the same is swept directlyinto the scoops T withoutthe intervention oi' the pan I. From the scoops T the dirt falls intoits receptacle Q, the bottom of which is constructed ot' a series ofcross-slats, U, supported by a longitudinal bar, V. The one end of thebar V is suspended from a rock-shaft, X, whileits other end connectsthrough a bell-crank, NY, and au arm, Y, with a hand-lever, Z. The slatsU are hinged eccentreally to the sides ot the receptacle Q, as shown inFig. l, so that they have a tendency to fall when the supporting-bar Vis removed. The lever Z has al peculiar arrangement, being pivoted at ornear its center to the upper end ot' the connectinga-rm Y, and being ofsuch length relatively thereto that when the lever is in a verticalposition, and rests on one of its ends, as indicated in the drawing, thearm Y is raised, and the supporting-bar V is held so as to retain theslats U in a closed condition. When the lever Z is released, the bar V,by its oWn Weight and that of the slats, as well as of the dirt restingthereon, is caused to drop, andthe dirt escapes through the spacesbetween the slats. rIhe contents of the machine can thus be dumped bythe driver Without leaving his seat.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. I he continuously-revolving gutterbrush F at the front of themachine, arranged at right angles to the rear main brush, incoinbination with the curved plate I, arranged in front ot' the mainbrush, for receiving the dirt, the elevating mechanism, and thedirt-receptacle Q, having a bottom constructed of hinged slats, allsubstantially as herein shown and described.

2. The combination of the main brush, the elevating mechanism, and thedirt-receptacle, having a bottom constructed of hinged slats, with thehand-lever Z, arm V, and bell-crank W, all substantially as herein shownand described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andsea-l this 27th day of February, 1875.

IV. M. BLUME. [L s] Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, (Enns. WAnLERs.

